"Appeals court set to hear Alabama trademark suit": The Associated Press has a report that begins, "A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments in the trademark infringement case between sports artist Daniel Moore and the University of Alabama, whose football program is portrayed in a number of his works."

"Orie wants jurors sequestered in trial": Today's edition of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review contains an article that begins, "State Sen. Jane Orie asked an Allegheny County judge to sequester the jury in her upcoming retrial, fearing jurors may hear about a grand jury investigation of her sister, state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin."Posted at 08:03 AM by Howard Bashman

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

"Consumer agency chief's appointment is invalid, GOP senators say; New rules adopted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would be challenged in court because President Obama appointed Richard Cordray as its director while the Senate was in recess, Republicans say": Jim Puzzanghera has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

"Sane defendants may be denied self-representation, court rules; The California Supreme Court unanimously decides that a person could be sane enough to be tried but too mentally ill to act as his own lawyer": Maura Dolan has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.

Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey's SJR84 refers to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, not the US Supreme Court. That student newspaper story you linked to got it wrong. I know this from (1) reading the bill on-line; (2) talking to Senator Shortey's office at [phone number redacted].

The student newspaper doesn't seem to let anyone either leave a comment or e-mail the reporter who wrote the story.

Mr. Winger appears to be correct, as the proposed legislation can be downloaded via this link.

"Court to weigh restitution for child porn victim": The Associated Press has a report that begins, "A federal appeals court in New Orleans has agreed to rehear two cases in which a victim of child pornography sought restitution from men who viewed sexually explicit photographs of her on the Internet."

But is she smarter than a 5th grader? According to an item posted online at The Harvard Law Record, "Former Dean Elena Kagan received several B's during law school, especially her first year. She went on to become the first female dean of Harvard Law School, the U.S. Solicitor General, and the 112th Supreme Court Justice."

"Bill would end recognition of Supreme Court's authority": The Daily O'Collegian, the student newspaper of Oklahoma State University, has an article that begins, "A bill introduced Monday in the Oklahoma state Senate would forbid the United States Supreme Court from reviewing Oklahoma laws."

"Moot Court Is Anything But": Today's edition of The Hoya, the student newspaper of Georgetown University, contains an article that begins, "Of the 78 cases brought before the Supreme Court since its term began in October, 73 had been argued beforehand -- in a moot court at the Georgetown University Law Center."Posted at 07:32 AM by Howard Bashman

"Contraceptive mandate could face tough sledding in Supreme Court; The healthcare law's mandate to require religious-affiliated employers to pay for contraception for their workers has prompted two lawsuits; If the matter gets to the Supreme Court, it will go before justices who recently affirmed == in a 9-0 ruling == that the 1st Amendment gives special leeway to religious employers": David G. Savage has this article today in The Los Angeles Times.Posted at 07:28 AM by Howard Bashman

"TN Supreme Court to decide role of Nashville sheriff's office in immigration; Immigration enforcement is at heart of lawsuit": Today's edition of The Tennessean contains an article that begins, "The future role of the Davidson County Sheriff's Office is in the hands of the Tennessee Supreme Court, which has been asked to weigh in on a federal lawsuit that challenges the authority of the department to enforce federal immigration law."Posted at 01:24 PM by Howard Bashman

Monday, January 30, 2012

"Supreme Court Fails to Communicate Effectively to Public, Law Scholar Argues": Tony Mauro has this post today at "The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times."Posted at 01:23 PM by Howard Bashman